1972 C10 Stepside
Having spent his career in the trucking business, it is no surprise that Scott Blevins has a wide assortment of vintage trucks in his Murphys shop. One of those vehicles is a pristine 1972 highly customized C10 stepside pickup. Scott owned a C10 while in high school and was always attracted to the second generation GM C/K series trucks. Around 2001, when Scott's son was almost in high school, Scott decided he wanted to relive his past and the search began for a suitable C10 pickup to use as the basis for a father/son restomod project. Like most of us back in the day, they used Auto Trader (magazine) to narrow the search.
In 2002 they found a truck in Stockton that fit the bill - a rust free 1972 C10 stepside with a six cylinder and three on the tree. In spite of good intentions, Scott's trucking business and family responsibilities took priority and the acquired C10 pickup sat for five years until Scott's son took it upon himself to fully disassemble the pickup. Scott then made time to join the fun and a full frame-off restoration began in earnest. Scott and his son sent the frame and suspension to a powder coating company in Modesto. While the frame was being powder coated they sourced 2" dropped spindles and 2" dropped coils and air bags for the leaf spring rear of the truck to dial in the ride height.
The decision was made to go with a GM crate 383 stroker motor paired with a 5 speed manual transmission and a racing clutch. A 12 bolt rear end was sourced with 3.73 gears to transfer the power to the pavement. The 383 motor was topped with a 750 CFM Holly Carburetor and high rise intake manifold for improved breathing. At the first pull on the dyno the truck showed 325 HP. After a professional dyno tune that figure went up to 375 HP. The whoa for their ride is provided by slotted disc brakes in the front and drums in the rear. The wheels selected were custom staggered billet wheels purchased from a shop in Manteca. Hedman headers paired with a Flowmaster exhaust created an aggressive exhaust note complimenting the overall look of the C10.
The truck came from the factory with paint code WA521 white. Wanting a look with a bit more sheen, Scott chose Chrysler Stone White for the respray. Deciding they did not want the truck to be completely white, they chose a two tone color scheme with the top of the cab, hood and bed of the truck finished with Pepper Grey Metallic, Ford code 44490 - the same color used on the now famous Eleanor used in the remake of Gone in 60 seconds with Nicholas Cage. With billet touches throughout and shaved door handles, the finished product has a very clean look emphasizing the original body lines of the truck. This is all offset by the custom saddle leather interior which compliments the overall package beautifully.
Don't take it from me however, you can judge for yourself and give Scott's ride a close up look at our next Cars & Coffee on August 16th. See www.calaverascars.com for the time and address of Scott's shop. Note the license plate on the C10 - "MONUMENT". One of Scott's close friends dubbed the truck "monument" after it sat in Scott's garage for five years collecting dust. Once the truck was complete, Scott and his son took the C10 over to the friends house to show off the finished product and personalized Yosemite license plate with the truck's new moniker - "MONUMENT". Ths truck holds a lot of special memories for Scott and it brings a smile to his face every time he turns the key.
